How The Glock Became America’s Favorite Gun

As the Second Amendment will attest, America has had a long fascination with guns, in particular the Glock, but where did this fascination come from?

In his new book Glock: The Rise of America’s Gun, author Paul M. Barrett details how the Glock became America’s gun of choice for criminals, law officers and even some rappers.

Created in 1982 by an Austrian man named Gaston Glock, Barrett traces how the gun gained fame by appearing in the hands of police officers in Law and Order and other police shows. It was also used by Bruce Willis in the movie Die Hard 2.

Atlanta’s infamous, now shuttered strip club, the Gold Club, also played a large role in marketing the Glock.

In terms of rappers, Barrett said the Glock was adopted early on by some of hip-hop’s biggest names like Tupac and Dr. Dre. Tupac was eventually killed with a 40 caliber Glock.

Listen to Fresh Air’s interview with Barrett below, and read the full story at NPR.